Fluid and spring operated clutch



y 1953 F. E. MUNSCHAUER 2,639,014.

FLUID AND SPRING OPERATED CLUTCH Filed Aug. 25, 1950 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 M Z Z/ 4/ Invenior Hyde/76K 5 Nmx/Iaue/ y .1953 F. E. MUNSCHAU'ER 2,639,014

FLUID AND SPRING OPERATED CLUTCH Filed Aug. 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 19, 1953 FLUID AND SPRING OPERATED CLUTCH Frederick E. Munschauer, Buffalo, N. Y., assignor to Niagara Machine & Tool Works, Buffalo,

N. Y. Application August 25, 1950, Serial No. 181,478

- 2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to drive means for machinery and particularly to a novel clutch arrangement for connecting and disconnecting the driving and driven portions in power driven machines.

The clutch arrangement of'the present invention is particularly advantageous in driving such machines as punch presses, power shears, and the like, where relatively high work output subjects the clutch to very considerable loads. However, the teachings and principles of the invention may be applied wherever the inherent advantages thereof may prove desirable. In presses, shears, and the like, the provision of positive drive means is generally desirable and, fundamentally, the present invention provides a novel arrangement of the parts in a positive jaw clutch drive means which is controlled by fiuid pressure acting in opposition to springmeans.

The clutch mechanism of the present invention differs from those previously proposed mainly in the arrangement and disposition of the spring means which bias the movable clutch element to its disengaged position in the construction of the present invention. The spring means is arranged in such manner that it does not at all affect or control the proportions or design of the principal working components of the clutch mechanism, namely, the drive wheel,-the drive shaft, and the fixed andmovable jaw clutch elements themselves. In prior constructions the necessary diameters or the axial dimensions or both have been to some degree governed, as to some or all of the four main components here referred to, by the necessity for accommodating the spring means.

Speaking generally, the present invention provides spring means which lie entirely outside'of the main confines of the assembled drive shaft, drive wheel, and fixed and movable clutch elements. In fact, in one embodiment of the present invention the entire spring means may be removed from the clutching mechanism with the fluid pressure operating means without disturbing the assembled relation of the drive shaft, drive wheel, and fixed and movable clutch elements.

The spring arrangement of the present invention may, in one embodiment thereof, be so disposed and proportioned that it serves as a shroud or shield for the movable clutch element of the mechanism.

While general reference is made herein to fluid pressure operation, the usual source of fluid pressure e ergy is Q P F l Th!3 pre n 2 clutch mechanism is simpler in construction than those of the prior art, and the arrangement is such that the action of the compressed air against are stationary, excepting when the flywheel or other drive wheel and the drive shaft are clutched for joint rotation. Further, when the clutch is disengaged the reaction of the compression coil spring which urges the clutch to disengaged position is borne by parts thatremain stationary with the drive shaft. Since the clutchis usually disengaged for the major part of the time when the flywheel is running, this is a material factor. Several embodiments of the principles of the present invention are illustrated in the'accompanying drawing and described in detail in the following specification. It is to be imder'stood, however, that these embodiments are set forth by way of example only, and that the scope of the present invention is not limited, excepting as defined in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal fragmentary cross-sectional view through one form of the device of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse cross-setional view, on an enlarged scale, on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of a modified form of the device of, the present invention with a portion thereof shown in longitudinal cross-section; p v

Fig. 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, on the linev 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig.5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view, viewed similarly to Fig. 3, but showing a further modification of the means for applying spring force to the movable clutch element.

Like characters of reference denote like parts throughout the several figures of the drawing and, referring tothe embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the numeral I0 designates a flywheel, gear, or other driving wheel element havinga hub H. One end portion of a drive shaft is" designated I2, andthis shaft may comprise a crank shaft of a power press or similar machine wherein the mechanism driven thereby is to be intermittently or selectively operated by successive connection and disconnection of the driving- .whecl l 0,,and shaft I2. Shaft I2 may directly comprise the crank shaftor operating'shaft. of a anti-friction bearings l4 and I5 seat in annular recesses which comprise enlargements alt-the .opposite ends of the central bore of drive wheel Ill.

A jaw clutch element i s"' flx ed to" flywheel and is secured by means of bolts 2|. -"Mov'eable clutch element 23 is of sleeve form and is internally splined to engage complementary spline formations 24 provided at the end of drive shaft l2, whereby the clutch element 22 is fixed against rotation relative to shaft H! but is axially movable thr'ealona s In Fig. 1-, the numeraldesignates an adaptor "which supports the entire fluid pressure clutch ing chamber for a piston 36. Coverplate '35; is

provided centrally thereof with a rotary fluid connector 42. I v I r The body of connector 42 remains stationary and is connected with a relatively stationary pressure supply pipe 43, while an outlet stem portion 44 is screwed into cover plate and isfreely rotatable relative to the body 42 of the connector.

The interior details of'the connector need not be illustrated .01 described since these devices are freely available -commercially. The supply pipe 43' will, of course, be provided with conventional control valveineans'which may be selectively manipulated at the will of theo'perator to apply or not apply air pressure to cylinder 34. V

A circularly arrangedseries of. pins 45 is I. mounted in adaptor 30 for free} axial sliding movement and the pins hear at their opposite ends against the end of the skirtof piston 36 and against the adjacent endofsIidabIe clutch element 23. A spring supporting and encas'in member is designated 41 in Fig. 1 and comprises a mai n sleeve portion having ail-external annular flange 48 welded to one of its ends afid-afi'iritrnal annular flange 49 welded to its opposite an External flange 48 is fixed to adaptor '30 by fimeans 'of'screws so and ac'ompression coil pring 5| seats at one end againstth interiof'of internal flange 49. The other endfof spring 5| applies an axial biasing force figaliisii movable "elutch element 23 by'engagement against aring 52 which has an interna1 annular seat for engagement with a complementary peripheral formation on clutch element 23. Ring 52 is formed separately from movable eiuteh e ement 23 to simplify the latter and to'render it of more symmetrical formation to facilitate hardening thereof and toiminimize warping u on hardening, v

- Obviously, in this town ofthe present 'inv'en-' *tion, assembl is effected "by "introducing the spring encasi'ng member 41' over the end of shaft .l'll'i theh placing the spring 'Slthereifi and "then applying rin 52 and'mpvabie clutch element. --and anally-applying master :0.

Referring to the alternative embodiment illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, the numeral designates a drive wheel, the numeral 6| a drive shaft having a spline formation, and the numeral 62 a fixed clutch element. These elements are all identical with corresponding elements of the embodiments l and 2 and, accordingly, need not be further discussed. Movable clutch element 64 is generally the same 'asthe'corresponding element 23 of the first embodiment; excepting as to its end flange v which is designated 65 in Fig. 3.

An adaptor 66 is secured by screws 81' and centrally located upon a reduced end formation 68 of shaft 6!, 'all as previously described, and

.15 adaptor" 66 receives" an operating piston 69 and fierce-transmitting pins 10 which correspond to embodiment as does a rotary fluid connector H.

Adaptor 66 is provided with a marginal series of axially extending openings 12 which receive compression coil springs 13. The left-hand ends of spring-73; as viewedin' Fig. 3, seat in the ends or the openings 12, and a series of studs '74 pass through thesprings 13 and through coaxial openings in adaptor 66 and flange 6-5 of movable clutch element 64 The studs 74 may comprise bolts having heads 15 hearing against the righthand'ends of the springs, as viewed in Fig. 3, and nuts 16 'at the opposite ends of these bolts hold flange 65 of clutch element 84 yieldably against the adjacent end ofadaptor 66 and may be tightened to selectively determine the degree of tension of the several springs 13.

, When fluid pressure is applied to move piston 69 to-th left, as viewed in Fig. 3, movable clutch element 64 is meted to a. position of engagement bythe intervention of pins 10, and this movement is accompanied by movement offlange 85 away from adaptor '66 with a resultant increase in tension of-the springs 13. Upon the cuttin off of fluid pressure through suitable control means, springs 13 immediately return movable clutch element 64 to its illustrated disengaged position. The modification illustrated fragmentarily in Fig. 5 is the same as that shown in Figs. 3 and 4,

excepting that the movable clutch element, which is designated in Fig. 5, is peripherally grooved to cooperate with a ring 8| which has an internal peripheral groove. An adaptor 82, springs 83, spring studs '84, and nuts correspond exactly with the corresponding elements in Fig. 3. In the alternative embodiment of Fig. 5 the separate ring 8i isemployed for the same reason as previously described in conjunction withthe embodiments of Figs. 1 and 2 and also because it avoids the necessity of drilling the hardened clutch element 80 to receive the spring studs or bolts.

slidable clutch element and a piston therein'movable under the influence of 'iiuid pressure to move the slidable clutch elementto engaged position,

' we -m1 flan e t the oster end of the sleeve portion of'the' clutch element, a sleeve fixed at one end to said cylinder element and telescoping over the slidable clutch element and terminating in an internal flange, and a compression coil spring seated at its opposite ends against said external and internal flanges for urging the slidable clutch element toward the cylinder element to normally disconnect the same.

2. Drive means for power presses, shears and like machines comprising a drive shaft, a normally rotating drive wheel mounted on said shaft for free rotation, a jaw clutch element fixed against a face of said wheel, an axially slidable complementary jaw clutch element having an internally splined sleeve portion and interfitting external splines on said drive shaft for movement of the slidable clutch element toward and away from said wheel for connecting and disconnecting the clutch elements, piston and cylinder means carried by the drive shaft and operable to move the slidable clutch element to engaged position, an external flange on the sleeve portion of the clutch element, a sleeve fixed at one end to said piston and cylinder means and FREDERICK E. MUNSCHAUER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 746,761 Taylor Dec. 15, 1903 1,879,633 Olsen et a1 Sept. 27, 1932 2,221,014 Williamson Nov. 12, 1940 2,437,670 Adamson Mar. 16, 1948 2,472,452 Wissman June 7, 1949 2,505,600 Wissman Apr. 25, 1950 2,553,376 Lourreau May 15, 1951 2,593,521 Ball Apr. 22, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Great Britain Nov. 28, 1940 

